In the realm of Sogdia, the Khagan of China held court among the proud descendants and kin of Arjasp and Afrasiab, surrounded by a host so dense that the land glittered like a swelling sea. Swollen with vanity, the Khagan boasted that the very earth could scarcely bear the weight of his army or the majesty of his crown. He proclaimed to his generals his grand design: to sweep across Iran, annex its fertile territories unto China, force the desert tribes of Arabia beneath his dominion, and shatter every throne and royal crown across the world.
Yet his grandiloquent dreams were short-lived. Tidings soon arrived that shattered his resolve: Khosrow Anushirvan, the Shahanshah of Iran, imbued with divine glory, had set forth from Iran and established his camp at Gorgan. His imperial host stretched from sea to sea, an invincible wave of steel and banners. Upon learning of this royal march, the Khagan’s arrogance withered, and the path to battle suddenly seemed perilous and narrow. Stricken with apprehension, he gathered his chief councilors and commanders in solemn assembly to address this formidable threat.
Though the Khagan attempted to rally his pride—boasting that his own sway extended from China to the banks of the Oxus River and declaring his intention to lead his cavaliers into combat—a wise advisor within the council stepped forward. The sage counselor warned the ruler of China against taking up arms against the King of Iran. He cautioned that challenging a sovereign who exacted tribute from Rome and India, and whose royal fortune eclipsed the moon itself, would only invite ruin upon his realm and army. For Anushirvan was a crowned ruler of vigilant mind, blessed by divine favor and destined for victory.